ORIGIN

Clean 1951 Ford Custom Deluxe Fordor

This 1951 Ford Custom Deluxe Fordor sedan is impressively clean for the price point, and has and engine compartment better looking than 75% of the hot rods we see. Sure, the 4-door body is in less demand than the 2-door, but the roof line isn’t all that different and with a de-accessorized interior this would be a clean cruiser. Find it here on Craigslist in Windsor, California for $11,900, but make sure to negotiate in the YOM plates.

Count me in the two door camp , but this is a sweet ride. I wish my flattie looked that good . Agree, lose the whimsical bowling pin, match the front / rear covers in something practical/unique.. Then leave it alone and drive the pants off it..

Sorry, but this car is not interesting enough to grace this website. It’s just an old car, and not a very nice example at that. If they post more like this, expect another website to appear that discriminates against ordinary cars and picks more interesting ones.

That interior might look nice with all the seats covered in that type of blanket-pattern, one with at least a little bit of red (preferably deep, subdued red) in it. It would both compliment the suicide knob and the red pinstriping on the dash (make it look less flashy or out-of-place) and give the interior a bit of pop off the black-white-chrome exterior treatment. And, another vote to remove, smash and discard that ridiculous bowling pin shifter. And personally, I much prefer the look sans hubcaps.

This sure brings back memories of my Mom’s gray ’51 Custom Tudor with Fordomatic…and the day in 1956 when I “borrowed” her keys and drove the car around the block. No problems, other than the fact that I was only 14 and the snoopy neighbor who spotted my mischief and tattled to my parents that evening. Boy, was I grounded! After I got my license a few years later, all was forgiven, and my mother allowed me to install a pair of glasspacks and some nice wheel covers. Hope the old thing is still out there.

I learned to drive in one of these, my aunt’s, underage on a summer vacation. They are among the classiest, most dignified, of American designs… before marketing fins, et. al. Often thought proportions of the nicer modern sedans (2000 BMW 7’s comes to mind) were inspired by these.

I’d lose the shifter, pinstripes, and the seat-cover pattern. Keep all the tech mods. Add the brakes.

Great car (check out the gallery) with YOM plates no less. Great seller (read his HAMB posts). As mentioned, if the little things aren’t exactly your taste, you can change ‘em. Wish I had the $12K; I’ll drive up there and walk away with a cool ride and a huge grin. Don’t know the seller, but all the best to him. Sounds like he has another cool project in the wings.

I have to agree that the pinstriping and all the gee gaws don’t improve anything IMHO, but I don’t see how you could go wrong for that price. You just about guaranteeing that all the labor was done for free.

What a great looking cruiser. I’d take this over a stock example any day. The new YOM plate repops are a good thing, but there are only three proposed styles: 1956 black-on-yellow, 1963 yellow-on-black, and 1969 yellow-on-blue. The plates on this car are 1951-1955 plates, which are a different shape than the later CA plates, and not part of the proposed reissue program. These plates are regularly advertised for $500+ per pair on eBay. These are the plates I’d love to have on my 1952 Rover P4 (ya know, if it were running).

I love these, specifically with four doors. Never have understood the crowd’s preference for two doors. With three of my top five cars (this, Amazon, Lark) I like four, most like two.

Stalked one of these in Brooklyn Heights in the 1990s — the last decade I had the money to spend on a decent vintage ride. I think my notes offering to buy just scared the owner. I doubt it was worth the $10k I offered, but I was in love.

I have a 51 ford woody and this one tics all the boxes. Maybe the forder is the bastard child in the hot rod family but this one proves it can be made cool. The owner made some every intelligent choices on what to do to make the car more liveable and driveable (which, by the way, A Benz, is why you modify these things.)The 12 volt conversion with the stealth alternator gives you better electrics while maintaining the old school flathead look, changing to electric wipers instead of the vacuum system, modern wiring, bitchin dual carbs , a thorough collection of gauges to monitor the flattie, and the list goes on. Personally I would, and did, upgrade to the front discs so you don’t have to plan your stops a block in advance and depending on where you live, AC would be mandatory. Reskin the seats, lose the pine tree air fresheners, fill the tank and cruise like a boss. Congrats on the build and good luck to the seller.

@A Benz Apart- If this were something rare, I’d be less apt to appreciate the modifications. But it isn’t. And there has been nothing done to it that could not easily be put back. You would probably actually enjoy driving or riding in it. Lighten up!

Dad ran a shop, and I worked there in the 50s and 60s. He LOVED flathead Fords (and despised Chevrolets, but that’s another story). We owned dozens of these and the Mercs of that vintage. Those engines were incredibly quiet and smooth. I remember once we stopped for gasoline (back when someone EMPLOYED at the station pumped it). The engine was so quiet that the kid working there attempted to check the oil without realizing it was running. Not saying the kid was bright, though.

@A Benz Apart: I don’t share your view that the car should have been left stock. First of all, it’s a four-door ’51 Ford. They made lots of them, and they’re not all that desirable. The mods this owner did all make it much more interesting than a plain-Jane shoebox four-door.

Second, you suggest the owner should sell it stock and let the buyer decide whether or not to customize. That’s exactly what happened: The current owner bought it stock in ’05 and customized to his liking. He’s owned it for several years, and now is ready to move on. If this one isn’t to your liking, there are lots of blank canvasses out there.

What is it that drives people to paint on, bolt on, change up and otherwise ‘Kustomize’ every inch of an old car ? Isn’t a nice old Ford enough on it’s own without some recidivist re-interpretation of ‘Hot Rodding’?

It’s a nice car and in great shape, and a good price but why try to sell with all the tacked on stuff?? Wouldn’t it sell easier stock, so the new owner can decide to play at being Von Dutch?